Ponte Vedra residents rally to save the Outpost

71 acres of conservation land under contract with intent for residential development

The Outpost, currently owned by Gate Petroleum, has been a semi-private piece of conservation land for the past 30 years. The banquet lodge on the land has been used by members of the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and can be rented for events.

A view of the Outpost from the banks of the Guana River. The Outpost, a 104-acre of "old Florida" wilderness with a rustic lodge on it, could be rebranded for residential development in the near future.

A band of Ponte Vedra residents has gone on the defensive in order to save a remote piece of land along the west bank of the Guana River.

Known as the Outpost, the 104-acre parcel borders Neck Road and is owned by Gate Petroleum founder Herb Peyton. The property is under contract to be sold to local builder Dream Finders Homes for residential development.

But whether the sale goes through or any houses are actually built on the land is yet to be determined. According to St. Johns County administration, the Comprehensive Future Land Use designation for the Outpost is now “conservation” and must be reclassified to “residential” in order for the proposed sale to go forward. A residential designation could allow more than 286 residential units — or four homes per acre — to be developed on the property.

The land, which nearby homeowners say is an important piece of “Old Florida,” holds a rustic lodge, accessible only via a dirt road and often used for events by the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.

Dream Finders Homes is responsible for First Coast communities Durbin Crossing and Eagle Landing at OakLeaf Plantation among others.

Gunster Law Group has reportedly sent a letter to St. Johns County on behalf of Gate requesting an administrative interpretation, asking that the upland acres — approximately 71 acres — should be designated “Residential-C,” the same as other Neck Road properties. An Administrative Interpretation by the county would bypass public hearings and a period of public input on the matter.

Some Ponte Vedra residents are asking that the change play out in open meetings per the Sunshine Law.

“The normal process for a change to the Comprehensive Plan calls for public hearings before the board of county commissioners ... This should be no exception,” said Joe Fitzgerald, a Neck Road resident and member of Protect Guana, a group interested in the preservation of the Outpost.

St. Johns County administration said they would honor the Sunshine Law if the land use designation is changed.

“There are no hearings scheduled at this time; however, we expect any decisions regarding the land use will be done in public meetings consistent with all Sunshine Law provisions,” said Michael Ryan, communications manager for St. Johns County.

“… Unless we move quickly to influence the county towards a more appropriate designation for an ecologically sensitive area, Duval and St. Johns county residents will see the Guana change as we know it.”

Dan Reiman, Protect Guana

Ryan added that the county doesn’t have any proposed plans for development of the property at this time.

Marc Hudson, Land Protection director of the North Florida Land Trust, said the organization has been solicited by “a number of locals” who are urging the trust to buy the Outpost.

“Unfortunately, a purchase price of $18 million is way above our paygrade unassisted,” Hudson said. “However, if the Peyton family were able to wait until the potential passing of the Florida Land Water Legacy Constitutional Amendment this fall, North Florida Land Trust would be very willing to attempt acquisition of the property through that program.”

If passed, the Florida Land Water Legacy Constitutional Amendment would provide a dedicated funding source for the next 20 years for the acquisition of conservation and recreation lands in Florida by setting aside one-third of the net revenues from an existing excise tax on documents. The amendment would take effect July 1, 2015.

Staff at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve are currently pursuing the possibility of adding the Outpost to the Northeast Florida Blueway Florida Forever, a project for public land acquisition.

“It’s too soon to determine if this will be successful,” said Patricia Price, the reserve’s public information specialist.

For Dan Reiman, a Neck Road resident and member of Protect Guana, his concerns include the area’s 150-year-old oak trees that could be chopped down to make way for “postage stamp lots.”

“… Unless we move quickly to influence the county towards a more appropriate designation for an ecologically sensitive area, Duval and St. Johns county residents will see the Guana change as we know it,” Reiman said. “This property is large enough and sensitive enough wherein the public should be included in the decision-making process for its disposition.”

Hudson said that there’s “no question” about the resource value of the property.

“Surrounded by Fish and Wildlife Commission land, adjacent to the Guana Reserve, it’s a goldmine of habitat values. [North Florida Land Trust] has even hosted several events there in the past for that reason,” he said.

The Outpost was originally part of a larger piece of land purchased in the 1920s by real estate mogul and civic leader James R. Stockton Sr. — one of the many land acquisitions he made between Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine. During the 1940s, the Outpost became part of the lands held by Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. and was used as hunting land and a lodge by its club, The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. The hunting lodge was later rebuilt as a major banquet facility.

After the sale of Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. to General American Oil in the 1960s, Gate Petroleum purchased the property in 1984 and sold more than 13,000 acres to the state of Florida for about $50 million, creating what is now the Guana Wildlife Management Area. Approximately 13,000 acres of the original property are now part of GTMNERR.

Thirty years ago, the last 104 acres of the property were set aside for “club activities” for guests of The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, and St. Johns County designated the property as “conservation” in a comprehensive plan.

Last week, the issue was discussed at the Neck Road Traffic Calming Meeting at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall — specifically on how existing traffic concerns on Neck Road would be exacerbated. Members of Protect Guana circulated fliers at the meeting to publicize the issue.

“Based on our current traffic, development on this scale would quadruple the traffic load on Neck Road — not to mention the years and years of construction traffic,” said Reiman.

Fitzgerald said that the possible high-density development would be “incompatible” and that Neck Road traffic could increase by 400 percent. He and other Protect Guana members maintain that the development could threaten the neighboring and “environmentally sensitive” research reserve.

“Depending upon the type of development proposed and the amount of traffic generated by that proposed development, road improvements may be needed,” Ryan said. “At this time, no development proposals have been submitted to the county so it is premature to determine if road improvements will be needed.”

“There is only one way in and out. The beauty of this community is a roadway that is used by all — walking, bike-riding, skateboarding, jogging, socializing, etc.,” said Fitzgerald. “Can you imagine an additional 286 homes if the future land use is changed to Residential C? …The community would lose its very essence, its soul.”

Fitzgerald added that he would be open to a development with a lower number of homes per square acre, similar to nearby Guana Estates which contains 48 lots on about 100 acres.

Those who want more information on the issue can search “Protect Guana” on Facebook.